Generally, a demodulator must be synchronized with a modulated data stream input signal to provide a valid output. Previous methods for acquiring synchronization with a modulated signal include the continuous transmission of a carrier signal having embedded sync bits in a fixed pattern which can be used to synchronize the demodulator. A severe limitation of using a carrier signal with a sync pattern is the fact that the pattern occupies a long time period and delays demodulation of the data stream. Another method for acquiring synchronization is to add a start bit at the beginning of the data stream signal. However, not only does a start bit require an extra bit for each data signal, most applications typically use several stop bits which require additional bits.